Nonsensical Weekend Poll: Bad Boys

Posted on September 12, 2009

Everyone loves a good bad boy – that is, the guy who is the cool, dangerous outsider, but secretly good at heart. Or maybe not so good at heart. Inspired by Angie’s fabulous post this week about the “Bad Boy” archetype, we decided to give a few of our favorites for this edition of our Nonsensical Weekend Poll.

For this week’s ponderings: Which Movie/TV Bad Boy Makes You Wanna Break All The Rules?

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Thea James is half of the maniacal book review duo behind The Book Smugglers. By day, she does digital operations things over at Penguin Random House. By night, she watches an abundance of horror movies, stays up too late, and voraciously devours ALL THE SFF.

38 Comments

Gerd Duerner

September 12, 2009 at 2:56 am

Han Solo & James Stark (although I do have a soft spot for Danny Zuko who’s a bit dense around the girls)

Well, first of all, I submit an argument that Johnny Castle is not actually a bad boy. He’s a sweet, caring, loyal, beloved-by-all dude who *isn’t* in fact, sleeping with his former-Rockette dance partner and though he made have had a few flings with some bored housewives, it is made quite clear in the film that they were taking advantage of a poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks overwhelmed by their lavish gifts. He’s only “bad” in the sense that he wears a leather jacket and is more sexually experienced than sheltered-beyond-belief Baby. Imagine the story from Johnny’s POV and you almost have Pretty in Pink. Just sayin’.

Moving on. You know, I was saying on Angie’s blog the other day that I was never into bad boys except for Logan Echols, who I was way way way way way into (a *lot*), but then I thought about how my first crush EVER was Han Solo. I really do so love Han Solo.

Other than that, bad boys generally leave me cold. I’ve always preferred nice guys. (At which point, I bust out that famous exchange:

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Given the crappy taste her mother had in guys, I’m so glad Leia pulls one out of the pocket, y’know?)

Though there is a point to be made that as bad boys go, Han is mostly just pretending. He shoots first (YES HE DOES) but it’s a matter of life and death, and it’s a scumbag to boot. A few scenes earlier, we catch Obi Wan maiming folks for less. that bar is just a dangerous, dangerous place.

I love Han and Jack, but not in a oooh, I can’t resist you kind of way, (I wouldn’t mind going to bed with Johnny Depp, but he could leave the eyeliner off, though if Harrison could bring the space cowboy clothes, please?). Really, I identify most with conflicted, angsty, but not really “bad boy” heroes and heroines, and am most attracted to the ridiculously morally upright.

Veronica F.

As for me, though Sawyer really does occupy top shelf in my heart, I have the biggest soft spot for Bender from The Breakfast Club. Guh. And also Han, of course. They’re all “bad” but not really – they’ve got the goodness in them underneath all the toughness.

Gerd – Danny’s a bit oblivious, isn’t he :p But we love him anyways.

Diana – Well played, sir! Point taken. Johnny isn’t *really* a bad boy, though everyone (well, at least all the snooty asshats at Kellerman’s) perceive him that way. But he is the guy from the wrong side of the tracks, as you say, and he does rock the leather jacket and tight pants in true bad boy fashion… LOL. I wish TNT was doing their Dirty Dancing marathon right now.

And can’t argue with the merits of Han. The scoundrel with the heart of gold, proven ever since he busted a u-y in the Millennium Falcon to pull Luke’s ass outta the fire. Ahh, Han. How I love thee.

Hmm, I think next week we might have a “good boys” post. Because they definitely deserve the love too. *cough* PEETA! *cough*

Jackie – *pumps fist in the air* Yeah it does!

Bookalicious – I can completely understand 😉 Honestly, I thought Elizabeth had more chemistry with Jack in the second film than in all three with Will…but that’s just my preference!

Tynga – Ahh, literary bad boys! When Ana and I were brainstorming in emails about our fave guys from books, Eric and Adrian were names that came up immediately. I haven’t read the Mortal Instruments books yet! I’ll definitely be on the lookout for Jace. Thanks!

Ashley – Exactly! Sawyer is the ultimate. One of my favorite characters on TV…well, when they don’t turn him into a huge wuss… Outlander’s Jamie, you say? Hmmm, I dunno! I can’t see Josh Holloway without his southern twang (LOL just had a funny image of Jamie speaking with a drawl!), but looks-wise it might work!

Attackfish – Yes, definitely those two count! And Johnny Depp with or without eyeliner works for me 😛 That’s a really interesting way of putting it, that you identify with the morally conflicted but are attracted to the morally upright. That makes a lot of sense – opposites attract, balance and all that. Very cool.

Susan – Rhett definitely takes the cake in GWtW, I can’t disagree. But Jackman’s Wolvie (aka Hughverine) is a standout in its own right. And WORD to the moodiness getting old…I can relate. Being lavished with gifts and quippy humor sounds like much less maintenance 😆

MaryK

I keep thinking of a conversation I had with a friend of mine right after the seventh Harry Potter book came out.

Fish: I have fallen desperately in love with Neville.
Friend: Wait, Snape’s just about your alter ego, you know.
Fish: He kills Nagini! With a sword! And he’s sweet!
Friend: So your ideal ship would be Snape/Neville?!
Fish: Oh the horror.

Wow, so many true loves of my life and so many who leave me totally uninterested. Rhett really is the ultimate bad boy with a heart of gold. Han was just so darn fun compared to goody two shoes Luke. John Bender, had him in high school with me and would have totally done him (no really, the guy I was in love with held his family at gun point a few years after dropping out of school, I’m sure if he had fallen for me I could have changed his entire life. Thank God teenage girls like I was generally don’t have the chutzpa to act out their fantasies.) Wolverine, well, he’s just hot. Malcolm, tries to be bad but so really isn’t.

Thanks ladies for taking me down bad boy lane.

Lori T

September 12, 2009 at 8:57 pm

Oh my goodness, what excellent choices! I do not know that I can simply choose one, but I would probably have to go with Sawyer…he is one of my favorites right now. Although, Johnny Castle, Bender, Ren, Han, and Danny all take me back.

[…] the general love of bad boys. I’ve seen a few folks saying that nice guys can work too (and a few more actually claiming “bad boy” status on characters I would certainly categorize as “nice guys”) but it’s pretty much […]

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The Book Smugglers

noun
1 : a book review blog specializing in speculative fiction and popgeekery for all ages since 2008.
2 : a publisher of speculative short fiction and nonfiction since 2014.
3 : 2018 Hugo Nominee for Best Semiprozine
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